Yahya Kassab, Senior Director & GM – KSA & Gulf, Commvault, shares strategic insights on the UAE’s cybersecurity evolution; embracing cyber resilience; and navigating hybrid cloud landscapes.
The UAE continues to lead the region in redefining cybersecurity through a proactive, collaborative, and forward-looking strategy. With robust national frameworks championed by key bodies such as the Cybersecurity Council, and strong cooperation between public and private sectors, the country is setting a benchmark for resilience in the digital age.
Kassab outlines the UAE’s approach in driving the transition from traditional disaster recovery to cyber resilience in an interview with Sandhya D’Mello, Technology Editor, CPI Media Group.
With over 20 years of experience in the IT industry, Kassab has developed deep expertise in new business development, customer relationship management, and strategic problem-solving, enabling him to effectively identify and address the needs of clients and partners.
He leads a team of dedicated professionals committed to delivering innovative and reliable data protection and cyber resilience solutions across various sectors and markets. Kassab’s mission is to help customers successfully implement and execute their technology vision, whether in government, healthcare, utilities, transportation, education, or the private sector.
He is a firm believer in collaboration—both within and between organisations—leveraging technology to drive national agendas and business success.
Kassab’s achievements are measured by customer outcomes and satisfaction, and he takes pride in building long-term partnerships with organizations that place technology at the core of their strategy.
Interview excerpts:
How is the UAE’s approach to cybersecurity evolving, and what lessons can other regions draw from its experience?
The UAE is indeed setting a commendable example through its collaborative approach to cybersecurity. The country has established significant initiatives led by authoritative bodies such as the Cybersecurity Council based in Abu Dhabi, complemented by efforts in Dubai, playing a pivotal role in defining national security standards and encouraging seamless cooperation between the public and private sectors. Recognizing cybersecurity as a collective responsibility rather than a single entity’s task has been integral to their strategy. We take pride in our active participation within this community, demonstrating our commitment through substantial local presence, technology deployment, and compliance with regional regulations. The UAE’s proactive model highlights the importance of awareness, knowledge-sharing, and collaboration, serving as an excellent blueprint for other regions.
What is driving the transition from traditional data protection to cyber resilience?
Traditionally, organisations have relied on disaster recovery as the core of their business continuity strategies. While disaster recovery remains essential, today’s most significant threats are cyberattacks, which demand a different strategic mindset. Cyberattacks differ fundamentally from conventional disasters, requiring specialised responses beyond standard recovery methods. This shift towards cyber resilience addresses the growing necessity for comprehensive cybersecurity defenses and recovery solutions tailored specifically to counter cyber threats. We support our customers in developing robust cyber defense strategies, ensuring they can swiftly recover from cyber incidents, underscoring why this transition is critical.
How do you define cyber resilience, and why is this mindset transformation critical for organizations?
Cyber resilience can be succinctly defined as the capacity to effectively recover and continue operations following a cyber incident. This concept has gained prominence largely due to advancements in Artificial Intelligence (AI). While AI significantly contributes to digital transformation, it has also empowered malicious actors, increasing the likelihood and complexity of cyber threats. Hence, it is crucial for organisations to recognise that cyberattacks are a matter of when—not if. We strongly advocate for businesses to adopt cyber resilience plans, thereby enhancing their preparedness and recovery capabilities in case of cyber incidents.
“We support our customers in developing robust cyber defense strategies, ensuring they can swiftly recover from cyber incidents, underscoring why this transition is critical.”
How does Commvault support organizations in the Gulf region in enhancing their cyber resilience?
Commvault actively partners with major organisations in the Gulf to bolster cyber resilience. Our strategy involves creating awareness about the distinction between traditional disaster recovery and specialised cyber recovery plans. Furthermore, we assist organisations in developing comprehensive plans incorporating people, processes, and technology. While our primary focus is providing advanced technological solutions, we also work closely with customers and partners to redefine roles, responsibilities, and operational procedures aligned with cyber resilience objectives. Through this multi-layered support, we significantly enhance organizations’ defensive and recovery capabilities.
What key trends and challenges are currently shaping the cybersecurity landscape for organisations in the Gulf region?
A primary challenge in the Gulf region remains awareness. Despite ongoing advancements in technologies such as cloud, multi-cloud, AI, and blockchain, organisations frequently struggle to clearly delineate responsibilities, particularly in increasingly complex environments. For instance, multi-cloud environments offer significant agility benefits but simultaneously broaden the attack surface. To mitigate these challenges, we provide unified management solutions enabling simplified oversight and enhanced visibility across diverse workloads and platforms. A dominant trend is the proliferation of artificial intelligence. While AI drives transformation, it also enables sophisticated cyber threats. Commvault counters this by leveraging AI within our solutions to enhance security, improve usability, and proactively defend against threats. Our goal is to empower organisations with tools that simplify complex multi-cloud environments while proactively safeguarding critical data and infrastructure.
Do businesses and customers in the Gulf region need to embrace hybrid cloud adoption, and if so, why?
Hybrid cloud adoption is increasingly essential in the Gulf region. Organisations benefit from deploying data where it makes strategic sense in terms of cost-efficiency, confidentiality, agility, and performance. Hybrid cloud architectures provide the flexibility to strategically allocate resources, enhancing business agility. Although hybrid and multi-cloud environments can initially present management complexity, Commvault addresses this through solutions offering comprehensive oversight via a single interface. This ensures effective management, security, and streamlined operations across complex hybrid cloud landscapes.
Could you explain the importance and benefits of a ‘clean room’?
The ‘clean room’ represents an innovative solution designed to provide organisations with a secure, isolated environment to perform testing, cleaning, recovery, and operational drills without affecting the production environment. Initially introduced in the UAE through a partnership with Microsoft Azure, our cloud-based clean room solution is both cost-effective and compliant with regulatory requirements. It operates on-demand, significantly reducing costs and complexity associated with traditional dedicated recovery environments. By offering a secure space that mirrors the production environment, it allows operational and security teams to conduct essential activities safely and efficiently, reinforcing organisational resilience against cyber threats.